


Precious Gems

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Here There Be Dragons [8]
Category: Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe: Dragons, Alternate Universe: Knights, Dragons, Fluff, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Tony Being Tony, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony-centric, Winteriron if you squint, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 14:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16243952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: Tony takes a moment to ponder on the most precious gems in his hoard.





	Precious Gems

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beir/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Lick of Dragon's Breath](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770838) by [beir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beir/pseuds/beir). 



> So, Harley isn't in this one and I apologize for that. I didn't want to leave him out, but I also have an awful cold and am at nearabout the end of my rope. I'm mostly glad to manage to get this out at all.

Tony had a penchant for precious things. He was a dragon; it was really only to be expected. He had an entire hoard to testify to that fact. He had gems and coins, ancient artifacts and magical items. It was an impressive collection, to say the least, and it wasn’t just limited to _objects_. Many of his kind frowned upon keeping mortals around, other than as servants or snacks, but Tony had always found them endlessly fascinating. He reveled in their company.

Edwin and Ana Jarvis had been the first to become additions to his holdings, employed to keep the collection clean and cared for, to help with organization and cataloguing. It had been a struggle to trust them at first, but they had long since earned that trust and now Tony had no closer confidants than the Jarvis couple. Which wasn’t to take away from the other people he had collected, he should clarify. The two were just… special.

After that came Rhodey, a knight who had been injured by bandits not far from Tony’s lair and who had become a close friend during the time Tony had taken him in to heal. Up until that point, Tony had only rarely ventured out into the world. It had been Rhodey who had convinced him that it wasn’t such a scary place out there. Tony’s lair sat at a point where three kingdoms came together, and Rhodey hailed from the one to the north-east. He convinced Tony to come back with him to the palace, where he served as a knight, so that Tony could seek audience with the rulers there and hopefully be given safe-haven within their borders. A blessing from the rulers of the land would do quite a lot to keep knights or other hunters from attempting to attack his lair, or him when he ventured out, and since Tony never attacked livestock or people in villages, Rhodey didn’t think there would be any issue.

That was how Tony met the utterly enchanting Queen Virginia Potts and her husband, Happy. Queen Potts might have married into the family, but there was no question that she was the one in charge of things. (Not that anyone minded. King Happy, in particular, seemed more than willing to let her see to things as she saw fit.) They had been wary of a dragon coming into their court, even one of Tony’s… less than intimidating stature and accompanied by a trusted knight. It’d all worked out, though. Tony had managed to resist the temptation to steal the absolutely _gorgeous_ crown sitting atop Queen Potts’s head, and she given him a belly rub before they’d both signed the contract for his free roam within their borders. Tony personally saw to the fireworks for their anniversary celebration every year.

Peter, Tony had found wandering the woods and fallen instantly in love with. The boy thought himself as some sort of teenage Robin Hood, helping out around his village and constantly getting into trouble bigger than he could handle. He had dreams of one day becoming a knight and it took Tony no time at all to drag Rhodey out to meet him. The dragon had accidentally incinerated a chicken coop in his excitement when he found out Rhodey would make Peter his page boy.

Of course, not all of his first meetings had started so easily, nor ended so happily. Steve and his Avengers had been a band on knights from another of the neighboring kingdoms, not Queen Potts’s, who had come to slay him after hearing tails of a fierce dragon in the area. Tony would never forget the look of utter shock on Steve’s face when Ana had come at him brandishing an old broom in defense of a cowering Tony. At least he was able to look back upon _that_ memory with fond amusement.

Unlike Rumiko.

Unlike Yinsen.

And then- Then there was Bucky. The witch had showed up with Steve one day and just… never left. Now there was a workshop in Tony’s lair dedicated for his projects and Tony leant himself happily as an assistant. Bucky went out sometimes, to deliver orders to nearby towns, but often only places where Tony could accompany him. He used Steve or one of the others to deliver the rest. He said that he felt unsettled if he were around too many people for too long anymore. Tony’s lair was peaceful, a safe haven for him. Despite his words, Tony still often thought that it seemed more like _he_ had been the one taken in, rather than Bucky.

He cuddled in closer to Bucky’s neck, sharing the warmth of his belly with the witch while he worked. Bucky hummed inattentively as he continued to prepare his herbs and lifted his metal hand up towards Tony. The little dragon gave a toothy grin before blowing fire upon the approaching fingers and making Bucky jerk in surprise.

“Hey, is that the kind of greeting I get for trying to give you a scratch?” Bucky shook out his hand, the metal still bright and hot from the flames. He picked up a sprig of dried lavender and watched as it turned to glittering ash. “…I guess that works.”

Tony just licked his lips, nuzzling against Bucky’s neck more closely.

_You’re welcome._

Yes, Tony had an expansive hoard, filled with many treasures. None of it was more precious than the gems he had collected with the people around him.


End file.
